Colorado Should Expand Its School Choice

I was fortunate. Columbine High School was a great school for me. My senior year, I was making good grades, was an editor on the school newspaper staff, and competed on the speech and debate team.

Most of my friends were like me: involved, excelling — in a word, thriving at a public school. I had other friends, however, who were lost in a building with 1,600 students (and Columbine is by no means the largest public school in the state).

One friend had been passed along year after year in math and arrived in high school without basic arithmetic skills. She struggled thereafter to gain confidence. Another friend, also smart and gifted in music, dropped out. In a sea of young people, he fell through the cracks. Both would have likely flourished in another environment.

A great school isn't great for every student because one size does not fit all. Every child has unique gifts and challenges, and finding the right school is what school choice is all about. During National School Choice Week (Jan. 27 to Feb. 3), students, community leaders and activists from across the country celebrate how policies that put parents and students in control are creating better opportunities for children.

In Colorado, there's a lot to celebrate. At present, through school choice programs, Colorado students may attend any of the state's 1,500-plus traditional public schools or 187 public charter schools, space permitting. Additionally, thousands of families home-school their students independently or with support from an online public school.

The state has seen the steady growth of charter schools over the past 20 years. These public schools are managed independently of their school districts, but still have to adhere to state standards, assessments, and civil rights laws.

Even though a handful of new charter schools open each year, many students have not found a space to achieve or a place to belong. Some of the most effective charter schools have long waiting lists. Students languish in schools where they continue to struggle. Test scores show too many students falling behind.

On the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests, less than half of all Colorado's fourth- and eighth-graders score at grade level in math and reading and a quarter (26 percent) of Colorado students do not graduate on time, if at all.

While there are nearly 600 private schools in the state, only those families who can afford tuition can access this option. Colorado is not one of the 20 states that support lower- and middle-class families with private school tuition either through a voucher or tax deduction/credit.

The Douglas County School District deserves recognition for piloting a local voucher program, but it has been tied up in court. The district's board and leaders are some of the most innovative and insightful in the country. They understand the value of offering access to as many good schools as possible, even in a district where most of the public schools are performing well.

It isn't about the schools, after all; it is about the students. By providing a small voucher, the district would not only save money, it also would open more schoolhouse doors to more families.

There are a lot of students who are making the grade at their comprehensive public school. Even so, there are still those students who would do better in a different environment. Maybe they need a smaller school where they can get personalized attention. Maybe they need specialized help for a learning disability. Perhaps they need more challenging curricula, more guidance or even a fresh start with a different group of peers.

Whatever the case may be, these students would benefit from a range of choices from traditional public schools to charter schools to home schools to independent private schools. It's time for Colorado to take another step in expanding school choice.

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CAROLINE KITCHENS"[I]t’s a shame that feminists who claim to be all about empowering women are teaching young girls that they will always be victims and that the cards are stacked against them. I just don’t think that’s true in our society anymore, and we’re sending a horrible message to girls by teaching them to embrace victim status.”READ MORE >>>

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